Creative Writing

The English Department at Linfield College serves two majors--English and Creative Writing--as well as the general student interested in literary study and creation. All departmental courses explore the power of language to reflect and shape human experience. Students bring their private encounters with reading and writing into the more public arena of the classroom where, through questioning and discussion, they deepen their understanding of literature, including the contexts provided by literary history and aesthetic sophistication. This same effort unfolds in individual creative writing courses through a focus on both published and student texts.

GUIDELINES FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS:

FALL SEMESTER:

ENGL 250 Poetry, Prose and Plays(CS)

SPRING SEMESTER:

ENGL 250 Poetry, Prose and Plays(if not completed in the fall)

ENGL 275 Critical Methods of Literary Study(WI)

ENGL 285 Survey of U.S. Literature: Beginnings to Present (CS or US)

MAJOR/MINOR SPECIFIC ADVISING INFORMATION:

CREATIVE WRITING: 40 credits plus 2 portfolio credits (279 and 479). The 40 credits must include 16 credits in creative writing courses; 20 credits in literature, including 275 and at least one course in U.S. literature; and 485. One 3-5 credit course in an allied field (arts or mass communication) may be included in the total of 40 credits. Creative Writing courses may be chosen from the following: 200, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, and 321. ENGL 316, 317, 318, 319, and 321 may be repeated once for credit. (Independent study courses may be substituted at the department’s discretion.) 120 may be used as part of the total with permission of the department. Strongly recommended in addition to course work: internship in a related field.

Notes: By the end of the second year, LITERATUREmajors should have completed: ENGL 250: Poetry, Prose and Plays; ENGL 275: Critical Methods of Literary Study; ENGL 285: Survey of U.S. Literature: Beginnings to the Present. By the end of the second year, CREATIVE WRITING majors should have completed: ENGL 200: Introduction to Creative Writing; ENGL 275: Critical Methods of Literary Study

ELECTIVES: The department offers several courses on specialized topics designed to enrich the college literary experiences of the general student.